By Luis Sandoval
Reports circulated yesterday that Marcos Maidana might be withdrawing from his scheduled fight with Keith Thurman which would serve as the co-feature to the Adrien Broner-Vicente Escobedo bout airing live on HBO July 21st.
Maidana’s name all of a sudden was being mentioned as a possible opponent for Saul “Canelo” Alvarez but those rumors were quickly squashed. As Rick Reeno previously reported on BoxingScene, Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer confirmed Maidana was not being considered an opponent. Even further, Maidana himself tweeted out that Golden Boy had never offered him the fight and after talking to his team, going to 154 would be too much.
When BoxingScene caught up with Maidana at Robert Garcia’s Boxing Academy, he was asked if the fight with Keith Thurman was still happening.
“The truth is there were rumors [the fight wasn’t happening] but it’s being negotiated right now. I’m prepared to fight him so there’s no problem. Up to now, I’m not sure how things are going but I’m preparing to fight” informed Maidana after a full workout.
BoxingScene was advised that Maidana’s manager is not happy with some of the particulars regarding the fight and those are being discussed with Golden Boy Promotions at the moment. In the meantime, Maidana and new trainer Robert Garcia continue to train and prepare as they await the final verdict on if the fight will go on or not.
“I’m still training as if I’m going to fight. It’s the same if I don’t fight in July. There will be another fight soon so I will be prepared for anything” said the Argentina native.
There will be more to come on this story as things develop in the next few days. And while the fight is in question for the moment, Maidana’s last comment at least gives boxing fans a little bit of hope.
“Yes, that’s all still in question, that’s being worked on by [my manager] Sebastian Contusi. He’s talking to them but I think at the very least, for now, everything is okay” informed Maidana.
You can follow Luis Sandoval on Twitter @Truewest007. You can also tune in to The Boxing Lab, Boxingscene’s official audio show every Tuesday from 6-8PM PST with hosts Ernest Gabion, Luis Sandoval, and Ryan Burton.